I have decided to start travelling the world. My first stop will be in the UK. Or at least this is what the plan is. I love nursing, and I love travelling. If I can combine the best of both worlds, that would be awesome.
It turns out it’s not as bad an idea as it sounds at first. I have been looking for UK-based agencies that offer jobs for Australian and New Zealand nurses in UK hospitals, mainly NHS hospitals. There are not as many as I would have wished, but still, the choice is enough so I can start researching. One needs to be careful in reading the small print of employment contracts. Just signing it blindly can lead to misunderstandings at a later stage.
So, in order to provide you with my best personal initial advice on how to become a travel nurse in the UK, I will start from the very beginning. This is how it goes.
My name is Gemma Vendraft. I live in Melbourne, Australia. Born and bred in the City of Boroondara. I became an RN (Registered Nurse) after I got my Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Melbourne. Ah, these were wonderful years. All the fun we had. Anyways. I have decided to go travelling the world. The UK seemed like the first logical destination. From there, I was planning to hop across the pond and visit the US.
I wanted to be fully independent therefore, I decided to work and live in the places I travel to. That makes my stay more sustainable and does not require large amounts of cash. All I need to do is get myself a nursing job, buy a plane ticket and have a couple of thousand pounds/dollars in my pocket. That will start me off nicely.
The biggest of the abovementioned hurdles is finding an agency or company that can provide you with a work placement as a nurse in the UK. You need to do your due diligence. Get those Google searches going. Read carefully and keep an open mind. You will find the most attractive offer that suits your requirements. Just be patient. It doesn’t happen overnight.
